The Line: Jerome Borazio’s New Footscray Project

The Laneway Festival founder has grand plans for a culture hub in the west.

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Published on 20 December 2016

by Sean Wales

When Jerome Borazio, the man behind St. Jerome’s Laneway Festival and 1000 £ Bend started planning his new venue, The Line, he asked the locals what they wanted.

Borazio already has a venue in Footscray, Back Alley Sally’s and he spoke to regulars there to get ideas for a new space that would benefit them and the whole community.

“We have received a lot of community support and consulted heavily with the locals. We’re tailoring what we’re doing, [we are] taking on a lot of feedback from the locals [to see] what’s missing and what they’d like to see [in Footscray],” Borazio says.

The venue – an event space and future culture hub – occupies the upper floor of a former warehouse, similar to the one that houses his neighbouring bar.

“I’ve always been fascinated with historic buildings, and as development around us is accelerating at the rate of knots, it is really nice to preserve these spaces,” Borazio says. “At the essence and heart of it, people can still feel it was a working factory – it’s a link to history”.

The Line can hold events for up to 200 people. But for Borazio, whose latest venture involved putting a hotel on top of a shopping centre, The Line had to be more than just an event space.

“There’s just a plethora of talent out there that’s been undiscovered [in Footscray]. We want to create a mixed-use space that supports creative art, small industry, and open the space up to be a real community hub.”

The local council is still looking over the proposed plans Borazio says, but he envisions a venue that houses a tattoo artist, hairdresser and microbrewery. Borazio and his team will design the space themselves, and will work closely with the Footscray Community Arts Centre to create art programs and events. The Line will still be able to host events once the hub is up and running.

The Line will also serve food, though the concept is not confirmed yet. But Borazio knows what he doesn’t want.

“We aren’t aiming for any food truck component,” he says. “It’s going to be a little bit of a moving feast, but it will be underpinned by solid, regular offerings. We are in discussions with a high-end vegan food [maker]. We aren’t trying to emulate some sort of food park – Melbourne has enough of them.”

Borazio wants The Line to work for the local community, and to cater to everyone from Footscray’s families to its young people. The name itself came from the suburb.

“You’re on the Footscray line – the station is a couple of hundred metres away and it’s a direct line to the city. I kept hearing that term and I thought, this is a really good name for the venue.”